Amon Düül II - Tanz Der Lemminge
Date of Release: March 1971 (release) inprint
1997 CD: Repertoire REP 4749
1971 LP: Liberty Teldec LBS 83473/74X
1971 LP: United Artists UAD 60003/4
LP: Teldec 6.28525 DT
CD: Mantra MANTRA 014
CD: Repertoire REP 4276 WY
CD: Captain Trip CTCD-032
Ripped with CDex 1.40b5
Encoded with Lame 3.88b at 192/44/Stereo/HQ
Tracks
01 - Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies
a. In The Glass Garden (Karrer)
b. Pull Down Your Mask (Karrer/Rogner)
c. Prayer To The Silence (Karrer)
d. Telephonecomplex (Karrer)
02 - Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child
a. Landing In A Ditch (Weinzierl)
b. Dehypnotized Toothpaste (Weinzierl)
c. A Short Stop At The Transsylvanian Brain-Surgery
(Weinzierl)
d. Race From Here To Your Ears
I. Little Tornadoes (Weinzierl/Rogner)
II. Overheated Tiara (Weinzierl)
03 - Chamsin Soundtrack
a. The Marilyn Monroe-Memorial-Church
(Karrer/Weinzierl/Rogner/Meid)
04 - Chewinggum Telegram (Karrer/Weinzierl/Rogner/Meid)
05 - Stumbling Over Melted Moonlight
(Karrer/Weinzierl/Rogner/Meid)
06 - Toxicological Whispering (Karrer/Weinzierl/Rogner/Meid)
John Weinzierl - Guitar, Piano, Bass, Vocals
Chris Karrer - Guitar, Violin, Saxophone, Vocals
Alois Gromer - Sitar
Falk U. Rogner - Keyboards, Bass
Karl Heinz-Hausmann - Keyboards
Jimmy Jackson - Keyboards
Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Henriette Kroetenschwanz - Vocals
Rolf Zacher - Vocals
Lothar Meid - Bass, Vocals, Keyboards
Peter Leopold - Drums, Percussion
Danny Secundus Fichelscher - Drums
There aren't many double art-rock albums from the early '70s
that have stood the test of time, but then again, there aren't
many albums like Tanz, and there certainly aren't many groups
like Amon Düül II. While exact agreement over which of their
classic albums is the absolute standout may never be reached,
in terms of ambition combined with good musicianship and good
humor both, Tanz, the group's third album, is probably the
best candidate still. The musical emphasis is more on
expansive arrangements and a generally gentler, acoustic or
soft electric vibe; the brain-melting guitar from Yeti isn't
as prominent on Tanz, for example, aside from the odd freakout
here and there. You will find lengthy songs divided up into
various movements, but with titles like "Dehypnotized
Toothpaste" and "Overheated Tiara," po-faced seriousness is
left at the door. The music isn't always wacky per se, but
knowing that the group can laugh at itself is a great benefit.
The first three tracks each take up a side of vinyl on the
original release, and all are quite marvelous. "Syntelman's
March Of The Roaring Seventies" works through a variety of
acoustic parts, steering away from folksiness for a more
abstract, almost playfully classical sense of space and
arrangement, before concluding with a brief jam. "Restless
Skylight-Transistor-Child" is more fragmented, switching
between aggressive (and aggressively weird) and subtle
passages. One part features Meid and Knaup singing over an
arrangement of guitars, synths and mock choirs that's
particularly fine, and quite trippy to boot. "Chamsin
Soundtrack" exchanges variety for a slow sense of mystery and
menace, with instruments weaving in and out of the mix while
never losing the central feel of the song. Three briefer songs
close out the record, a nice way to get in some quick grooves
at the end.
-- Ned Raggett
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